Digital natives- selling to a new generation emerging in India

There are a number of labels to describe the young people currently studying at school, college and university. They include the digital natives, the net generation, the Google generation or the millenials. All of these terms are being used to highlight the significance and importance of new technologies within the lives of young people (Gibbons, 2007). The development of technology is the denominator which determines the growth of this generation. The revolutionary growth in technology happened in India after the 1980’s. But the actual strength of the technology was noticed only after 1990’s with adoption liberal and global economic conditions. The generation born at that time is privileged with various mass communication and technology gadgets and methods. The study aims to recognize a new generation emerging in the country with access to the world wide network from the beginning of their lives. It is necessary for the marketer to adapt to the changing market. There is a community which is connected to the world through internet and spends every woken time staying connected. This group is not online only for professional or educational purposes; they have a separate life through the networking communities. Every routine activity of daily life is affected by the digital world. The aim of the study is to identify the special characteristics of a digital native as a customer. The factors that influence the decision making of a person to select or not to select a product or service vary from person to person. The paper here is an effort to highlight the significant changes in the importance given by a person to factors influencing purchase decision if he is a digital native.